Concursante

A normal guy ruins his life because a stroke of good luck. Will the director die for the same reason? I don't think so, for he shows much more than simple luck on the guiding of this extraordinary film about the truth and the appearance of truth, abut the luck and the evil of the banks, about the fast and the cinema itself. Rodrigo Cortes directs his first film with master hand, it's difficult to believe this is his first feature. I haven't seen his short films, but I'll try to, since the joy and good time this movie has given to me. Impactant editing, masterful script, extraordinary music, amazing directing, unbelievable acting (and can an actor be more handsome??)... At first I thought this film was going to be a pedant bluff, but at the minute 20 I couldn't stop watching at the screen, almost hypnotized. I'll never trust a bank again!!

Contestant is a sleek independent Spanish film-noir comedy with an intriguing and original plot that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

It tells the story of a couple of yuppies, Martin and Laura, who become multimillionaires after Martin -played by Leonardo Sbaraglia- wins a 30 million Euros in a TV show. The prize, however, becomes a curse.

The film is clever, thought provoking, very dynamic, and, above all, pure entertainment. It has brilliant dialogs; truly fantastic are those devoted to economics, which are explained in such a creative simple way that the lay person can easily understand. The film has a great tempo and frantic action. However, the film contains a satire of consumerism and capitalist society and its mechanisms to entrap the individual, but presented lightly.

Although all the actors are correct in their respective roles, Sbaraglia really shines, and he's impeccable in his his performance; the noir genre really suits his acting. Also great is Chete Lera as the old subversive retired professor Edmundo.

The direction is great, especially if you take into account that his was Rodrigo Cortes's first long-footage movie.

This is one of my favorite Spanish movies of the 2000s. A must see. Truly entertaining and intriguing.

Rodrigo Cortes is one of the best young talents in Spanish cinema and you are going to hear a lot from him from now on.

The Contestant is a decent black comedy with a lot of incidents, social critique and awesome interpretations. It deals with a young executive, Leonardo Sbaraglia, an ordinary man who wins a TV contest, being subsequently harassed and deceived by the bank system, as Banks always win. Concerns the fate of the greatest gameshow price in histoy, 6 million euros, and its only winner, who becomes a wealthy man but at the end takes places a strange and surprising deneouement.

A real satire against the modern economy, about the global financial system meltdown with a predating system that devours the people by lying, deceiving, and leading them to despair, ruin and poorness. Adding magnificent interpretations, along with atmospheric and adequate cinematography by David Azcano. As well as a rousing and appropriate musical score by Victor Reyes. A strong actual portrayal full of irony, acid criticism to economical system, cynicism, corruption, and fatalism. It displays a deep critical in capitalist economy system, state robbing by huge taxes, abusive mortgages, hedge funds, excessive credits, loans and the predatory banks. A sour story of a man against the banks, daring the dark economic order, being masterfully played by Leonardo Sbaraglia. Argentina actor Leonardo, though a young player , has a long career from the Eighties, playing in both, Argentina and Spain, including films as Plata Quemada, Caballos salvajes, El corredor nocturno, Relatos salvajes, Carmen, Utopia, Vaquero, Sangre en la boca, , El rey de la montaña, En la ciudad sin limites, Dolor y gloria, Intacto, Nieve negra, Al final del tunel, among others .Leonardo is well accompanied by a good support cast as Myrian Gallegos as his girlfriend, Chete Lera as his advisor, Luis Zahera as a mean, corrupt banker , Myriam Maeztu, Susana Mayo and Fernando Cayo as his colleague .

The motion picture was well directed by Rodrigo Cortés. This Spanish filmmaker has directed notorious international successes as Red Lights, Dawn in dark hill and his biggest hit : Buried. The Contestant or El Concursante won Maestre Mateo Award to support cast : Luis Zahera, best director and editing. And Malaga Film Festival, best director and best cinematography : Daviz Azcano, and it had several Goya nominations.

I've seen this film in the Spanish Cinema Malaga Festival, and I consider it excellent. The audience also finded it moving and different, and all of us clapped spontaneously at the end of it, the whole theater decided to stand up as if we were one only person. "Concursante" also has a great performance by Leonardo Sbaraglia, an excellent actor from Argentina, his acting is spectacular, brilliant, and the same for the rest of the cast, very inspired and very well directed. It won the Critics Award (and Best Cinematography), but it deserved many more, that was the general feeling in Málaga. Excellent movie that may also work abroad, because of its international look and interesting theme (the truth of the Financial System). Ten points for "Concursante", Leonardo Sbaraglia and its young and promising director, Rodrigo Cortés.

I found this movie by fortuitous accident and consider it one of the best I've ever seen. At times funny, at others depressing, it will forever change the way you feel about consumerism and banks. It chronicles the drastic change in a man's life after winning the highest paid contest on TV and how his immense good fortune became a real-life nightmare as his prize money fails to materialize and he is coerced to borrow against it. A brilliant way to teach about the real perils of borrowing, how compound interest works and how to avoid falling in the trap. I dare are you to watch a constructive, powerful and unforgettable movie today!